I became interested in Ancient Egypt in the 4th grade when the school librarian actually allowed me to check out a book that should have been read by a 12th grader. That history book got me hooked. I am 48 now and still in love with Ancient Egypt. The time period I've always been most interested in is, of course, the Amarna Period but any of the 17th and 18th dynasties are interesting.

I don't have a lot of Egyptological books but I do have Kent Week's book about KV5, Baedeker's Egypt (new edition), TGH James, Ancient Egypt, EA Wallis Budge's The Mummy and The Book of the Dead, and last but not least, the British Museum's Book of Ancient Egypt.

Glad to see that there are more forums about egyptology and Ancient Egypt than the EEF forum.

Hmmm...I've loved Egypt for what seems like forever. My memory is foggy, but I'm pretty sure it went this way: I was first exposed to it around kindergarten or first grade. I found it culture interesting but didn't know all that much about it. All through elementary and middle school I read every book on Egypt I came across, gradually learning more and more. My obsession grew, and by the 7th grade I came home from school each day, tossed my homework aside, turned on the TV and looked for, not cartoons, but Egypt-related documentaries. Even if I had seen a certain documentary before, I would watch it anyway. When I took World History in 9th grade, I felt like killing my teacher. She made us--gasp--write our names in heiroglyphs. It was something I had done in second grade, for crying out loud! And the most pitiful part? The kids in my class had no idea what they were supposed to do! I was already finished before she was even done handing out papers with big cartouches on them. It was actually amusing at one point. The poor soul next to me asked, "Uhhh... How am I supposed to write this? Left to right? Can I turn my paper sideways? Does it matter?" I didn't even have time to roll my eyes before the girl on the other sidew of me complained loudly, "She expects us to draw these stupid things?! To heck with it! I'm gonna trace 'em!" Now, I know some of the symbols, especially the bird ones, are not all that simple for this artistically-challenged, but... really. Then the teacher added to the assignment: "draw things that remind you of Egypt around the cartouche." I rolled my eyes again; how old did this woman actually think we were? So there I was, drawing intricate illustrations of gods and goddesses while one of my friends was drawing a black cat with its back arched. This was just too much. Egypt is fun to learn about, but this teacher actually suceeded in making it dull. Sorry about the long post that's become off-topic. This is justthe first time I've been around other people who share my interests.

Back in the days of my sixth grade romping, I learned about King Tut in my Geography class, as well as the Osiris legend and heiroglyphs. After that, I fell in love with ancient Egypt, and have been studying it--mostly the New Kingdom--since I was 12.

My story is almost exactly like that of the_tutness, except it was in 5th grade World History class and I have been serious since I was 10. Which makes for nearly 5 years of Egypt-loving. And yes, I love the New Kingdom, too._________________The limit of one's craftsmanship cannot be attained. -paraphrase of the sage Ptahotep

It was something we studied in 6 grade that I found really fasinating. We went on a field trip to an Egyptian museum near here, and I was hooked. My collection of books on many different subjects (on AE) has been growing ever since. At first, I was into the 'Pyramid Age' of the Old Kingdom. Lately (for the past couple years), my interest has been in the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.

I know I have loved Egypt for as long as I can remeber too! For me I think it started when I was little when I watched Discovery Channel, it was a series all on egypt so I fell in love with it right away!

I've loved Egypt since before I started school.
I remember looking at pictures in my Grandpa's books
I started drawing, reading and thinking egyptian
and now I'm an egypt-o-maniac _________________egyptianscribe
To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again.

I've always loved Ancient Egypt...somehow it facinated me, the thought of a people that spent all their lives preparing for their deaths. I don't know exactly what draws me in, but the whole of the culture has such a strange beauty to it =3

That, and I have a natural interest in all cultures, especially ancient ones. And polytheism...I liked how people had different entities for different reasons and elements :3_________________...+Ueret-ma-a-neferu-Ra+...

i think i was etheir 5, or something, and i was in my school library, and i piocked up a magazine about king Tut. i thought it was cool, so i asked my mom to let me learn more. or, maybe i just saw the prince of egypt, and liked the drawings.. _________________i am the anhk, and so i giveth of life.

I married an archeologist, after being dragged around enough hot dusty countries to look at dead guys I became hooked.

Sarah is the one capable of translating "pregnant budgie, furyy sex whip, 2 rigid digits" as Rameses, I just give them silly names to infuriate her._________________If you listen very carefully, you can hear the gods are laughing.